Road spreading machine



Feb. 19,1929.

, 1,702,666 A. N. NlcKERsoN ROAD SPREADING MACHINE Filed Oct. 11, 19427 5 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 19, 192.9.V

. A. N. NlcKl-:RsoN

ROAD SPREADING HCHINE Filed oct. 11, 192': 5 sheets- Sheet INVENToR. 11M Nik/temen BY @MM) AT ToRNEw A. N. NICKERSON ROAD SPREADING MACHINE Feb.19,1929.1 f, f 1,702,666

Filed Oct. .11, 1927 3 'Sheets'.-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. AMM'cJPeI-won wml, @72M A TTORNEYIS' Patented Feb. 1.9, UNITED STATES 1,702,666 PATENT lOFFICE.

ALMA N'. NICKERSON, 0F NEW BEDFORD,` MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOB, BY IEBNE AS- SIGN MENTS, TO 'HIGHWAY SERVICE, INCORPORATED, OF

CHUSETTS, A CORPORATION Ol' MASSACHUSETTS.

NEW BEDFORD, KASSA- ROAD SPBEADING MACHINE.

application mea october 11, 19a?. semi No. 225,575.

This invention relates to road spreading machines adapted to supplyy minerals to roads automatically, thus overcoming the hand procedure conventionally employed.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a machine of the character speclfied with means for selectively varying the size or thickness of the coating of minerals applied to the road or the width of the spread or both.

More specifically the invention comprehends a receptacle provided with a transverse opening in its lower end which is provided. with a heavy cast iron roll performing the dual function of feeding the minerals from the hopper and of rolling the material spread upon the road. A

.There are numerous other ob'ects of the invention which will be perfect y apparent to those skilled in the art from a reading of the following specification and in conjunction with the drawings attached hereto and forming a part hereof in which- Figure 1 is a top view of the machine,

Figure 2 is a view partly in section,

Fi ure 3 is a detail view of the combined feedmg roller and tamper, and

` Figure 4 is a detail view taken on line 4-.4 of Figure 2.

Referring now specificall to the drawings, 1 represents a hopper provlded with sloping walls and with a transversely arranged discharge opening 2. This hopper is preferably provided with a movable door 3 for loading the sand, peastone or other minerals or surfacing material. Extending rearwardly from they hopper are convergingly disposed side frame members 3 and 4, the rearward extremities of which are pivotally securedv to the rear axle of the tractor 5. This tractor may be of any improved t e such as the well known Fordson. e front wheels of the tractor are removed and a pinion 6 attached thereto by means of the 'bracket 7 secured to the front of the tractor. 'The spreader includes a steering mechanism whereby the relative angular positions of the tractor and spreader hopper may be changed irrespective of whether the machine is in a state of motion or not.. This is particularly valuable in operations where close handling is necessary to secure spreading with a minimum of ease. and in laces ordinarily inaccessible. This steering mecha.-

nism may be readily attached to' the tractor and comprises a hand wheel 8 located in proximity to the operators seat 9. The rotation of the wheel causes a corresponding rotation of the shaft 10 and the sprocket wheel 11 thereby rotating the sprocket chain 12 and the lower sprocket wheel 13, causing a rotation of the pinion 6 aforesaid. This pinion meshes with an arcuate rack 14 dis- 'posed between the side sills 3 and 4. It is thought that this steering 'mechanism need not be ex lained with greater particularity herein. he hopper is provided with a pivoted angularly disposed brush 14 pivotedy as at ,15 to the hopper. This brush may be moved'to different positions by means of the control 16 located in'proximity to the operators platform 17 as clearly shown in F igure 2.

It is very important that the granular material be discharged at a point very close to the roadway to prevent uneven distribution 'occasioned by winds or the like. To this end I support the hopper bv a heavy roller 18 supported by the axle 19 to the sides of' the hop er. This roller consists ofa plurality o sections 20 to allow differential rotation when turning corners. The roller is located within the recess 2 and serves the dual function of feeding the granular material from the hopper and of rolling or tamping the spread on the tarred surface of alsy the roadway. The brush 14 is composed of f any suitable material such as wire, ratan or the like and its inclined disposition forms, in conjunction with the cast iron roll, a substantially V-shaped pocket 21 for the reception of minerals, which is highly advan tageous in this art. The brush may be adjusted with respect to the roll to thereby vvary the thickness of the spread according to the necessities of the occasion. Surmounting the roller 18 I provide an inclined vWall 22 which serves the function of prewidth of the spread may be varied. For in-A stance, if is desirable to dress up the shoulders of a road the machine may be operated so that the minerals will be discharged at that predetermined point only. This arrangement also permits t-he spreading of material of any widths when treating tarred surfaces, thus insuring that there will be no improper point of overlap between the tarred surface and the spread minerals. Moreover the roller 18, consisting of a multiplicity of sections 20, extends the full width of the hopper, thus obviating the necessityT of 4providing special means for taking care of the space ordinarily provided by hoppers of the type employin wheels.

It will be apparent that the eavy cast iron roller 18 in addition to serving as a feeding device for the minerals further acts to roll the minerals after they have been spread, thereby eliminating the necessity of providing a separate implement for this pur ose.

T e subject matter of the adjustable brushes and shuttersV is not specifically claimed herein, as this forms a part of an invention claimed in another case filed simultaneously herewith. The present case is predicated upon thesubject matter relating to the heavy cast iron rollers serving the dual function of spreading the granular material and tamping` or rollmg the spread on the roadway.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

l. A road spreading machine comprising 'a hopper provided with a transverse opening, of a combinedfeeding roller and tamping roller located within proximity of said opening and adapted to feed surfacing materials therefrom and roll the same on the roadway.

2. A road spreading machine'for supplying minerals to roadways comprising a hopper provided with an opening in the lower portion thereof, a feed roll located y heavy within said opening and extendingvsubstantially thefull width of the machine, means for variably adjusting the size of the spread discharged by said feed roller, said feed roller being adapted to roll or tamp the spread on the roadway.

3. A road spreading machine comprising a hopper having a discharge opening therein, a feed roller located within said opening and supported to the side walls of the hopper by a transversely arranged axle, said feed roller tonsisting of a plurality of independent sections' extending the fully width of the discharge opening provided by the hopper and adapted upon rotation to cause the discharge of the minerals from the hopper and to pack the spread upon the `spread and the width thereof.

5. A road spreading machine comprising a hopper provided with a transverse opening, o a combined feeding roller and tamping roller located in proximity to said opening but slightly to the rear thereof, means forpreventing a substantial amount of the weight'of the ranular material within the contines of the iopper from interfering with the free rotation of Vthe combined feeding and tamping roller, the roller serving the dual function of feeding minerals from the hopper through the opening and of thereafter tamping the same on theroadway.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature.

ALMA N. NICKERSON. 

